Kimberly Kane as Wonder Woman in “Wonder Woman XXX: A Porn Parody,” directed by Axel Braun. Parodies, once a cheaply filmed niche segment of the adult movie market, are the hottest thing in porn these days. They are filled with top-notch special effects, real story lines, actors who can sometimes act and costumes occasionally deemed accurate. (AP Photo/Vivid Entertainment Group)

So being a geek is mainstream now, apparently. But it didn’t take that revelation for seemingly unnerdy industries to start recognizing this growing (and spending) demographic.

Since the Tijuana Bibles of the early twentieth century, satire of popular fantasy characters in less-than-virtuous situations has been popping up in all sorts of media. And erotic fan fiction has plagued (or blessed, depending who you are) most popular franchises in recent memory. Now it’s the adult film industry’s turn.

Once known mostly for badly lit, shoestring-budget films with plot holes you could park a Super Star Destroyer in and dialogue that makes The Hulk seem almost as articulate as Professor X, a new crop of superhero parody porn movies making waves recently even have budgets as much as five times greater than that of Manos: The Hands of Fate.

The movies are timed to release around the release dates of the major motion pictures they parody and despite the much higher production costs they reportedly sell for as much as three times more than their more familiar, done-in-a-day counterparts. For an industry assaulted by online piracy, amateur copycats and copious overseas competition, this new direction is as welcome as one of Scotty’s best-timed beam-outs.

The AP lists several recent naughty knock-offs including those featuring an imitation Iron Man, a spurious Superman, a bogus Batman, and a pseudo Spider-Man. There is even would-be Wonder Woman. Next up, apparently, is an ersatz Wolverine flick from the genre’s groundbreaker (and apparent huge comics collector), Axel Braun. There is a (Bad. Really bad.) work-safe trailer on YouTube if you’re feeling like you haven’t groaned enough today.

Why are these parodies having such an impact? Obviously, if these films are making enough money to keep coming, someone has money to spend on “high quality” pornographic parodies. That revenue is an irresistible temptation for an industry whose profits are down billions from one-time highs.

Geekery may be the new norm, and I know more than a few nerds whose social graces approach normal, but let’s face it: a lot of us are still just as awkward and impure as ever, full of the wishes and wonders that Jason Lee brought to life as Brodie in Kevin Smith’s punk/nerd powerhouse “Mall Rats” with scenes like this discussion with Stan Lee:

So if you were to look for a nerdy pornographic delight, which of course you never would, what superhero, sci-fi stud or video game vixen would you most like to see? Tell us in the comments below, but please — keep your words and links SFW. This is a family-friendly nerd blog, after all, even if it is a study of stimulation.

Stan Lee, who is the guest of honor the second annual Denver Comic Con, has learned a thing or two over the years about what sticks. (Photo by Reed Saxon)

NOTE: Bad news, true believers. Stan Lee has canceled as the guest of honor at the Denver Comic Con this year, so we had to pull our print interview with him (slated to run in this Sunday’s Denver Post’s A&E section). However, seeing as he’s Stan Lee and all, we figured it was still worth running the full interview online.

By any sane, human standard, Stan Lee should have lost his verve for the entertainment business decades ago. Then again, Stan Lee rarely lives in the realm of those either sane or human.

The 90-year-old former president and chairman of Marvel Comics was a fixture on the comic-book convention circuit long before many of its attendees were born. And while it’s all fun and games to many fans, it’s also now a multibillion dollar global industry with huge corporate stakes — and nasty copyright battles.

Lee keeps mum on the legal stuff, but even if he doesn’t call the shots at Marvel anymore, the co-creator of Spider Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Thor says he hasn’t lost any of the excitement or optimism he has for the creative side of the industry.

“It’s because I love what I do,” Lee said over the phone recently. “I love talking to the fans and I love being in those little movies and doing those cameos.”